Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

"Oh my, oh dear."

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 23, 2025

Hanna-Barbera was running full steam ahead in the early 1960s, riding a wave of popularity from standout cartoons such as Ruff and Reddy, The Huckleberry Hound Show, Quick Draw McGraw, and of course The Flintstones. Appearing only a few weeks before future classic The Jetsons in September 1962 was a trio of new properties collectively known as The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series; these include Wally Gator, Touché Turtle and Dum Dum, and Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har. All three similar properties starred lovable talking animals in bite-sized adventures and, rather than sold as a full variety show, were instead offered as a package to local stations for syndicated flexibility. Each was also produced in 16mm as a cost-cutting measure, unlike most H-B productions which were finished on 35mm.

Similar to the other two new-for-1962 properties, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har is neither complex nor ambitious. It's another "odd couple" series that, this time, follows Lippy the Lion (Daws Butler) in and around various locations; always on the hunt for free food, money, or room and board, lovable Lippy is flanked by a downtrodden hyena named Hardy Har Har (Mel Blanc), who usually ends up facing the consequences of Lippy's actions... enough so that he often predicts it in advance. A pirate captain on an otherwise deserted island, a mad scientist and his white monster "Omsk", a deranged Hollywood director, a heartbroken rabbit, and a horse's ghost all rank among the show's most memorable one-off supporting characters, all of whom play off the duo's fixed personalities in amusing ways. But the presence of these two, boosted greatly by the talents of Butler and Blanc, is its most comfortably entertaining highlight.

That's the enduring appeal of cartoon entertainment like Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: it's not challenging in the least but perfectly fun in small doses which is why, as usual, Warner Archive's comprehensive collection of 52 shorts can be enjoyed at any speed. (I can't imagine many fans, even the most nostalgic ones, will be running the series in a single 4.5 hour session -- I watched them all in a little over a week, or about a half-dozen shorts each evening, which felt just about right for yours truly.) But unlike several of the boutique label's fully reconstructed Blu-ray collections of "proper" vintage Hanna-Barbera shows such as Huckleberry Hound and Magilla Gorilla (which proved to be a Herculean challenge, given the ramshackle state of H-B's library of cartoons dissected into individual segments), these shorts are presented individually with the intro animation and title cards at both ends because that's all that exists.

Much like Touché Turtle and Wally Gator, all 52 episodes of Lippy the Lion look and sound as strong as possible on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray... and here, even better due to the original 16mm sources being almost all accounted for. Instead of my usual hand-assembled list of included shorts (which are printed on the back cover for easy reference), screenshots #24 and 25 show each disc's episode roster. They're divided evenly with each dual-layered disc running just over two hours, which proves to be more than enough real estate to ensure optimal image quality.

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike most Hanna-Barbera cartoons from the 1950s and 60s, the original source materials for Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har were 16mm original camera positives rather than 35mm negatives (a studio cost-cutting measure, as mentioned above), which obviously doesn't yield the same levels of fine detail and color depth as, say, Magilla Gorilla, The Jetsons, or The Huckleberry Hound Show. Unlike the more limited Blu-ray presentation of Touché Turtle (whose original 16mm camera positives were mostly unusable), the wide majority of these 52 shorts -- all but maybe a half-dozen or so -- were able to be sourced from the original positives and have been beautifully restored with excellent color, fine detail, and textures. Even those half-dozen or so "secondary" episodes (mostly seen in screenshots #14-18) as well as the intro sequence at least look decent... just with softer line detail, less pronounced colors, and chunkier grain. All elements were scanned in 4K and treated to a round of the boutique label's careful manual cleanup, which reinforces Lippy the Lion's visual charms while preserving every ounce of available grain. It's a commendable effort and, due to the more consistently strong source material, a true five-star effort under the circumstances.

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track likewise isn't as clear and well-defined as Hanna-Barbera's 35mm cartoons, with occasional amount of thinness and hiss that were likely left alone to avoid compromising the shorts' dynamic range... but since the majority of these shorts' original sources were usable, Lippy the Lion sounds a bit better than Touché Turtle as well. Even during those half-dozen or so "secondary" episodes, the wide majority of dialogue and music cues are all perfectly intelligible and rarely fight for attention, achieving a modest overall presence that feels right in line with most TV shows from this era. In all cases, this series and its Blu-ray presentation serves as yet another sterling showcase of H-B's commitment to first-rate voice acting and remains appealing for that reason and more.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during all 52 included shorts.

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a keepcase with colorful cover art. No inserts are included, but an episode list is provided on the back cover. (Additionally, screenshots #24 and 25 show all the cartoons on each disc as well.)

Not surprisingly, there are no extras, which is of course offset by the rock-bottom price.

Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Warner Archive continues to churn out lovingly produced, low-priced collections showcasing some of Hanna-Barbera's lesser-known vintage properties, and Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har: The Complete Series is yet another fine effort. Part of The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series, a collective of new-for-1962 characters that also included Wally Gator and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum, Lippy features similarly lovable animals in bite-sized adventures with terrific voice acting, this time from Daws Butler and Mel Blanc. The formula is limited, of course, but it's enjoyable in smaller doses so you can take your time digging through all 52 five-minute shorts on this two-disc set. Above all else, the gorgeous restorations will make it an absolute treasure for long-time H-B fans. Recommended to the right crowd.